Friday, 30 October 2015

Bar-A-Thym, Casual French Restaurant, Singapore

Bar-A-Thym Entrance from Gemmill Lane

When our favourite sommelier tells us of a ‘must visit’ bar
or restaurant, we have no choice but to rush to make a reservation. He’s never
led us astray - behaviourly perhaps on occasion, but never have our taste buds
been disappointed. So when he demanded that our next trip to Singapore sees an
evening at Bar-A-Thym, with sweet talking chef Francois Mermilliod, we could
not help but say yes (!).

Bar-A-Thym, Casual French Restaurant, Singapore

Located on the happening gourmet lovers’ strip of Gemmill
Lane, Bar-A-Thym is one of the newest and hottest properties to flourish in
this street. The glass walled entrance, fronted with stools and high tables,
allows a preview inside of a long bar lining the space on one side and
elegantly dressed dining tables on the other. Cheeky French flare is expressed
on the walls with pastel-hued murals, a textured ceiling and mosaic floor. The
glint of chandeliers and drop bulbs reflects off rows of glasses suspended
above the bar. Immediately we feel at home with a little splash of quirkiness,
a drop of fun and some fabulous aromas wafting from the kitchen.

Bar-A-Thym Kitchen Team

Chef Francois Mermilliod serves cuisine south of France in
style. Fish and seafood procured sustainably and prepared on the flat plancha grill with distinctive
Mediterranean flare dominate the menu. And as such, it makes sense that our
first dish is fish.

The fine crunchy shell of the Bacalao Accras ($22) encloses
a rich codfish filling. The Thai chef accompanying Francois in the kitchen adds
a Thai Nahm Jhim dressing spicing up the traditional and leaving a mildly
addictive tingle on the tip of our tongues.

Bacalao Accras

The hostess suggests the 2014 Rose Provence Chateau Sainte
Marguerite ($70 bottle, $12 glass) to pair with our starters. Its smooth fruity
balance does well with a variety of foods, and its bright raspberry aromas are
mirrored in the palate.

Iberico Pork Jowl ($22) arrives seductively shining on a
bed of pea tendrils. Sweet cubes of pear chutney and flavourful hazelnut halves
further contribute to the richness of the luscious sweet slices of cured and smoked
pork cheeks. Wow.

Pork Jowl

Carpaccio of Hokkaido Scallops ($26), we’re told is a new
creation that has proved incredibly popular. A delicate presentation for the
eye is equaled with elegance in the mouth. Slim slices of okra and dill donate
a burst of green, ground hazelnuts contribute earthiness, and caviar a salty
taste of the sea. Covering the top is a frothy tomato emulsion that lightens the
overall profile and sets this dish apart from other carpaccio we’ve recently
dined on.

Carpaccio of Hokkaido Scallops

Continuing with the fruits of the sea, distinctive flame red
slices of Alaskan King Crab ($29) rest atop a tangle of angel hair strands. The
pasta has been cooked together with uni and espellete creating a smoothness
that is sliced through by the French pepper. The heat though is only just
enough to break the creamy sea urchin, and quickly retreats once its work is
done.

Alaskan King Crab

In preparation for our main, we change to a 2010 Rhone
Valley Domaine Soumade, Rasteau Village ($16 glass). It’s dark in the glass and
rich in body with soft minerals in the finish. Reaching every crevice of the
mouth, yet surprisingly soft, it makes an excellent pairing for our following meaty
course.

We salivate as we inhale the delicious aromas of the roasted
Welsh Lamb ($42). It smells so good we take a number of deep breaths just
enjoying the scent before we carve in. Soft flesh quivers at the touch of our forks,
and an array of mushrooms, potatoes and spinach supply a satisfying partner to
the meat. I glance over at hubby’s plate and see he’s gnawed his meat to the
bone. You can’t get a much better recommendation than that.

Lamb

Bar-A-Thym’s pastry chef, Shameem Abdullah, has sent over
two desserts looking almost too pretty to eat. A Raspberry Tart ($8) with a
hint of pistachio mousseline and raspberry coulis, and the Esterhazy ($8) featuring
hazelnut dacquoise, pralinè buttercream and caramelised hazelnuts. Both are
petite mouthfuls of pleasure and a first-rate ending to a splendid evening.

Raspberry Tart

Esterhazy

Reasons to visit:
warm friendly atmosphere – everyone here clearly loves what they do and they
all adore chef Francois; don’t miss the Iberico Pork Jowl or Carpaccio of
Hokkaido Scallops; be sure to save some room for some sweet treats too.

21 comments:

Hi Monica, Caning Cordobes and crew.Sure looks like a friendly restaurant and a cheerful - all shapes and sizes - staff.The food looks great. Isn't "Esterhazy" Austro-Hungarian??? I am sure that word has somethingto do with Strauss polkas or marches????Then again that "torte" could be named after a dubious French Army Officer???I see you are saving me mathematical calculations from Ringgets to Aussie dollars,and I am most relieved. Maths not being the top of my preferencesNow it appears you are taking an historical approach - ha ha.However with Maths now out of the way, I do appreciate "history", muchmore to my liking as is geography.Cheers from another dreary day in Brisbane.El Colin Cordobes.PS: I am considering your film "royalities" and fees. Gratis would have been my preference.

Footnote: "The House of Esterhazy" - Austro-Hungarian Noble family is well worth a read.Just finished reading it. All estates lost but you should see the castles still belonging tothe family in Austria.Maybe that cake or torte was named in honour of them???El Colin Cordobes

The place doesn't look very... Singaporean, to me. In fact it looks just like one of those quaint little cafes in Penang. I always imagined restaurants in Singapore would be very posh and lavish and whatnot. It is good to see some "character" in an establishment here.